PS3 or X360?

[BG-57]

So which should I get? I should point out that most of the platform exclusive titles aren't particularly interesting to me. I've been a faithful follower of the FF series since the SNES era and bought a PSX just to play FFVII. Similarly I caved in and bought a PS2 when FFX came out. My first inclination is to get a PS3, but since I've heard FFXIII is on both platforms I have a choice. Most of the other games I want to get are on both platforms as well.

I'm mostly into RPG, tactical RPGs and some action games. In addition to FF I've been following the Suikoden series, some of the Dragon Warrior games, and LoK.

[Doc Sark]

I think if you're mostly into tactical RPGs and RPGs, PS3 is probably your best bet. Stuff like Valkyria Chronicles, Cross Edge and White Knight Chronicles (to name a few) are PS3 exclusive. Also the range of RPGs on PSN is better than XBLA, with Vagrant Story just being made available and Square Enix looking like they'll release more of their back catalogue through PSN.

Like you say, the biggest titles tend to get a multi-platform release these days so you won't miss out on too much. While I prefer my Xbox 360 to the PS3, I think with the tastes you've described, PS3 is probably better for you.

I would like to point out that I am not a raving lunatic fanboy for either platform!

[Slothy]

I think if you're mostly into tactical RPGs and RPGs, PS3 is probably your best bet. Stuff like Valkyria Chronicles, Cross Edge and White Knight Chronicles (to name a few) are PS3 exclusive. Also the range of RPGs on PSN is better than XBLA, with Vagrant Story just being made available and Square Enix looking like they'll release more of their back catalogue through PSN.

This pretty much. When you said you weren't interested in many of the platform exclusives for either I was prepared to say it didn't really matter, but if you're after RPG's and SRPG's largely then I have to say PS3 for Valkyria Chronicles alone. Try renting Demon's Souls as well. It's hard as hell and not for everyone, but it is an amazing action RPG for those who like its style. As a side benefit you'll also be able to buy the better looking version of FFXIII apparently (haven't played or seen either version yet personally).

[Aerith's Knight]

I would also recommend a PS3 for your wishes, but I would thereby recommend only to get one if you have a full HD tv. Because if you get a ps3 without one, you're going to want one, and end up spending an extra 600 dollars you may not have wished to spend.

[Slothy]

If you don't have an HDTV you're not getting the most visually out of either system, so I don't think it matters that much. I got by just fine with my PS3 for a year without an HDTV. Not having one is no excuse for missing out on some great games.

[smittenkitten]

PS3 is good if you want to save money in the long term if you want to play online with your mates. You don't have to play for online since it's free unlike the x box where you have to pay around £40 a year to get access online with your console. I have both consoles and I prefer the PS3. ^^

I say PS3! :mogumogu:

[Pheesh]

Most X360 games seem to be available for PC as well (just got mass effect for computer). I'm biased, but I would say PS3, you can probably get some deal or another with a new slim and a game.

[Jessweeee♪]

I'd say the PS3 is a better investment because it seems to have fewer hardware issues than the 360. Of course I've owned neither and I've never even touched a PS3, so I'm not a reliable source of information xD

[Dreddz]

PS3. The 360 really isn't that exciting anymore.

[bipper]

PC

[BG-57]

I did buy an HDTV recently, so that shouldn't be an issue.

I was considering buying some of these titles for my PC, but FFXIII isn't available on PC.

Sounds like PS3 is winning. I'll check out the titles you all suggested as well.

[Zaskull]

PS3 is my reccomendation as well.
-Very little technical issues unlike the 360
-More vivid HD setting
-Fits your taste in video games
I also personally think that with Blu-Ray the PS3 will be around longer, unlike the 360 which still uses DVDs.

[Jessweeee♪]

Wait, no don't buy a PS3! You'll just be one more person who can play Heavy Rain that isn't me :nonono:

[Jings]

I'm going with the 360 because it's the first one I bought and I'm not wasting any more money on a second console.

[Breine]

PS3. The 360 really isn't that exciting anymore.

Yes. But really, imo the 360 has never been exciting.

PS3 is the way to go, yo!

[Bolivar]

Well with God of War III released yesterday I think the PS3 library is pretty much untouchable at this point. It has the most variety and the best in each category. Especially RPG's since you said that's one of your favorite genres; Demon's Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are IMO the best RPG's released this gen and there's also White Knight Chronicles and Disgaea 3 (only talkin exclusives).

On the action side there's Heavenly Sword, inFAMOUS, Uncharted 1 & 2, and of course Metal Gear Solid 4. I'm playing God of War III right now and I honestly feel it's one of the best action games ever made. Even if you've been turned off by the ultra-violent style over substance, I really can't urge you to play it enough. Uncharted 2, God of War III, and Metal Gear Solid 4 are probably the 3 best games of this generation, let alone action/adventure games.

Since you already got an HDTV, the PS3 as a Blu Ray player sells it alone. But on top of that it's an TV-internet browser, DivX certified video codec player, and you can even help to cure cancer with it (http://playstation.com/life/en/index.html) (not even joking).

You probably already have the games, but the Playstation Store has digital copies of PSOne games and is probably going to get PS2 games soon. (http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010/02/04/sonys-peter-dille-talks-ps2-classics-on-psn/) There's a couple FF titles on there and Suikoden I believe as well. Dragon Quest VII is on the Japanese store, hopefully they bring it over soon but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Nifleheim7]

Valkyria Chronicles and Demon's Souls should be reasons enough to buy a PS3.

The Last Guardian will be another reason as well.;)

[Croyles]

Id say PS3. I AM biased seeing as how ive never really liked the 360 much but I dont think my bias goes far enough to skew what I would recommend to people.
Even if you don't care about platform exclusives in general, id still say PS3 as you dont have to pay for online and get a blu-ray player to top it off.
360 definitely has better online interface and structure still, even if the margin is thinning.

[McLovin']

Just go on like IGN or Gamefaqs and check out the top games and do some research on them and see which ones you like and just buy the system that has more games that you want to buy. That's all that matters in the end :p

[Bolivar]

Id say PS3. I AM biased seeing as how ive never really liked the 360 much but I dont think my bias goes far enough to skew what I would recommend to people.
Even if you don't care about platform exclusives in general, id still say PS3 as you dont have to pay for online and get a blu-ray player to top it off.
360 definitely has better online interface and structure still, even if the margin is thinning.

There's a difference between having preferences and being biased. Bias is when you'll refuse to look at the other side of what people are saying.

I've lived with people who own 360's, so I played a lot on it for the first couple years it was out, but it doesn't have any exclusives that interest me greatly, and online works just fine on PS3/PC, there's no reason for me to buy one.

[Loony BoB]

Owning both, I'd say that it all depends on a few basic questions.

1. Do you really, really want to play FFXIII Versus?
If yes, PS3 is the only console you'll get it on. This is one of the main reasons I got a PS3, although there are others.

2. Do you want to play local multiplayer (ie, with two people sitting next to each other both playing on the one screen)?
Xbox 360 is much, much better for this. With PS3, only one account can be logged in at a time. This means that if you want to earn trophies together, you have to do it logged in as one person, and then all over again logged in as the other person.

3. Do you, in general, prefer single player games or online gaming?
If you prefer single player gaming, I would say the PS3 is better. If you prefer online gaming, it's about 50/50. I think the Xbox 360 has better online games, but at the same time I think the cost of Xbox Live is pretty nasty, especially if (like Danielle and I) you have two accounts to pay for.

4. What do most of your friends have?
Because if you want to play with your friends, you're going to want to have the same console. Cross-platform multiplay is not a common thing yet, sadly enough.

5. Which games do you prefer?
This is for some people the be-all and end-all when it comes to picking out the console - especially for people who don't like multiplayer games. If the console has more games you prefer - and more future releases planned that pick up your attention - then obviously you should favour it.

[Pheesh]

Also keep in mind that quite a few of the games considered X-Box exclusives are available for PC (Mass Effect, Fable etc.).

[Loony BoB]

Also worth keeping in mind that while they are available for PC, they don't always have the same release date.

[Momiji]

The Xbox 360 is the shmup console of this generation, so I'm certainly going to lean toward that.

The PS3 doesn't really have any games I want. If I get one, chances are I'd be using it as a Bluray player more than anything else.

[Pheesh]

Also worth keeping in mind that while they are available for PC, they don't always have the same release date.

Just making the point that those games would eventually be available to you, which wouldn't be the case with say GoW III or Heavy Rain. But you're right, it's looking like Fable 3 will be here before the PC gets Fable 2 (although when Fable came to PC it had all the extra content, which was pretty good).

[smittenkitten]

I'd say the PS3 is a better investment because it seems to have fewer hardware issues than the 360. Of course I've owned neither and I've never even touched a PS3, so I'm not a reliable source of information xD

Yes I agree with this! ^^

Also you should have put up a poll BG-57! :jess:

[JKTrix]

Just as a couterpoint, have you considered a DS? Not only is it much cheaper, but it has the most Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Suikoden games (though there's really just one Suikoden game) on any current game system. The DS is really the RPG system of the generation based on quantity alone.

If you're mainly concerned about FF13 though, the PS3 version is supposed to be better, plus you get the 'Vs' game.

[Madame Adequate]

Suikodens I, III, and V are all great and worth playing as well, JK!

I put more stock in the 360, and it has more RPGs than you'd think. And I own one, without having a PS3, so I'm sure that biases me. But by this stage yeah, the PS3's library is pretty extensive and I doubt you'd regret getting one. Aside from VS13 the next Suikoden is pretty guaranteed to be a PS3 title, whereas 360 is more up in the air. Though many games are cross-platform of course. Edit: Oh, of course, if you want tactical then yeah you want a PS3 before a 360. Can't think of anything like that on my console :cry:

The 360 has superb online stuff, cost or no cost. I've not used the PS3s so I can't compare; all I can say is that I find my £40 a year money well spent. And it has some truly excellent stuff like Halo, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, Fable II, Left 4 Dead (yes I know the PC is better for that but I'm assuming that the PC is not on the cards).

[JKTrix]

I meant there's only one Suikoden game on the DS, compared to the dozen or so DQ/FF games on the same system :P

The 360 does have more RPGs, but then when you list the RPGs most people here wouldn't really care much about them. Maybe they'd care about them if they got PS3 versions, like Star Ocean and Tales of Vesperia (though Vesperia's not coming in English), but otherwise they'd probably convince themselves that they're not interested.
And some of them are pretty bad. I can't in good conscience recommend Operation Darkness or Zoids Assault, though I own them and they are both 'exclusive' Japanese Strategy RPGs for the 360. I *could* recommend Culdcept Saga, but that's a pretty hardcore card battling game that looks like it came from the PS2.

360 has much more of the lower budget RPGs, while the PS3 tends to focus on the pick-of-the-litter when it can.

[BG-57]

Yeah the poll didn't occur to me until after I created the thread.

I have Suikoden I-V, along with Tactics and I'm going back to play through all of them again (just finished replaying Suikoden I). I'm interested on if there are any future Suikoden releases and on what consoles.

Haven't heard much about Dragon Warrior since VIII. Maybe they're under the radar or something.

I do want to keep up on the FF series, especially if they release XIV on the same consoles as XIII.

[JKTrix]

I'm interested on if there are any future Suikoden releases and on what consoles.

Haven't heard much about Dragon Warrior since VIII. Maybe they're under the radar or something.

I do want to keep up on the FF series, especially if they release XIV on the same consoles as XIII.

Further reinforcing my DS recommendation (which is only half serious since I know you want a console, but still... the option is there).

Suikoden Tierkreis came out about a year ago. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suikoden_Tierkreis)

Dragon Quest 9 will be out in English this summer. Dragon Quest IV and V are already available, VI will be coming later. DQ5 and 6 were not officially released in English prior to their DS versions, much like Final Fantasy 3 on the DS.

Then you have the DQ spinoffs: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest_Heroes:_Rocket_Slime) (a personal favourite), Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest_Monsters:_Joker) (Joker 2 is out in Japan next month), and the DSiWare game Dragon Quest Wars, which was developed by the guys who made Fire Emblem/Advance Wars.

Final Fantasy 3 and 4 have been remade in 3D for the DS, and as mentioned before it's the first time 3 has been released in English. There are several spinoff games as well, like two Crystal Chronicles games, FF12 Revenant wings, and FFTactics A2. There's a new "Gaiden" game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikari_no_4_Senshi:_Final_Fantasy_Gaiden)that was released in Japan in October, but that hasn't been announced for a Western release yet. There's also a couple of 'Mana' series games available for the DS.

And that's just a list of games based on your obvious/immediate interests.

XIV is 100% confirmed for both PS3 and PC. Nothing has been 100% confirmed for a 360 version yet.

[Bolivar]

I meant there's only one Suikoden game on the DS, compared to the dozen or so DQ/FF games on the same system :P


to be fair, nearly all the RPG's I have on the DS are remakes or ports. Not to say the DS doesn't have a ton of original content, but a lot of them are spin offs. I haven't played DQIX yet so I have to reserve judgment on that, but I do trust Level-5 to have delivered on the legacy they set up in DQ VIII, and it certainly looks that way from some of the things I've seen.

The 360 does have more RPGs, but then when you list the RPGs most people here wouldn't really care much about them. Maybe they'd care about them if they got PS3 versions, like Star Ocean and Tales of Vesperia (though Vesperia's not coming in English), but otherwise they'd probably convince themselves that they're not interested.
And some of them are pretty bad.[/QUOTE]

That's an incendiary generalization. I'm not one to trust in reviews, but I've seen from fans in general as well that games like Infinite Undiscovery and Last Remnant really haven't been that good. I do want to play Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, I've seen a couple hours of them at friends' places, and they do indeed look like games I'd have a blast with. But they essentially looked to me (and my peeps who've beaten them agreed) like NES RPG's in HD-clothing.

Whereas Valkyria Chronicles and Demon's Souls are probably the top 2 JRPG's of this generation in terms of critical acclaim and fan-belovedness (wow, bad word), not to mention they've brought new things to the genre and fully stand toe-to-toe with any big production game from the west.

While these are indeed only two games (there are others like Disgaea 3 and White Knight to fill the gap, still, you seem to know a lot more about obscure 360 games which there seems to be a lot of) I think this last fact about those two are things to be celebrated, and just cause enough for any JRPG fan, provided they are interested in other genres, to purchase a ps3.

[JKTrix]

It probably didn't come out as well in my post, but I was basically conceding that the Playstation's exclusive RPGs are much more generally appealing than the 360's Exclusive RPGs. I singled out Vesperia and Star Ocean as being 'crossovers' just because they were the most recent ones that came to mind. There are other older games like Eternal Sonata and Enchanted Arms (that I also wouldn't have recommended even if they stayed on the 360) that eventually crossed platforms as well. The only 360 JRPG I've really really liked so far is actually Vesperia. Culdcept isn't reeeally an RPG.

Demon's Souls and Valkyria are indeed two of my more favoured Japanese Console RPGs of the generation. Also Yakuza 3. Which is why I can't recommend the 360 as a JRPG system 'in good conscience' even if the quantity of games is greater on that side.

[Shiny]

HDTV w/ an Xbox 360 is what I have and what I prefer. I like online gaming especially with special events where you can play with the game creators or celebrities. I can play my old Xbox games on it without a problem and marketplace is great. Xbox has more games that interest me it also has FFXIII so there's no issue of me not being able to play that. Obviously I'm bias so I'd say get a 360, but it is the best choice in terms of variety of gaming.

[Araciel]

PS3 is better for me, it's more of an all-in-one solution right out of the box (blu ray, etc.) and while it cost me more, I also have been stung in the past by the RROD and have trouble trusting in xbox now.. So keeping in mind that I would have to buy a second console, it actually was cheaper. I think the exclusives on the ps3 are much better. It also seems that there is a much broader lineup when it comes to genre (almost too many fps/racing on xbox)

[BG-57]

Well, I got a DS today. I can't resist the lure of Suikoden. :D

I'll still get a major platform eventually, but I'll hold off for now. FFXIII won't be going anywhere, and I'm not in that big of a rush to play it, especially given the recent reviews critical of it's linear gameplay.

[BG-57]

Well, got a PS3 today, since it's No Tax Day in Massachusetts.

Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions. Time for this thread to die.

Avada Kedavra!